Crane for salvage trucks



1942- Y F. T. DIXON CRANE FOR SALVAGE TRUCKS Filed 001;. 6, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet l v Attorney ,Aug. 11, 1942. F. 'r. DIXON CRANE FOR SALVAGE TRUCKS 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Inventor Filed Oct. 6, 1941 1942- F. T. DIXON I 2,292,870

CRANE FOR SALVAGE TRUCKS Filed @012. 6, 1941 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor Attorney Aug. 11, 1942. F. T. DIXON CRANE FOR SALVAGE TRUCKS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed 001;. 6, 1941 A Home Patented Aug. 11, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CRANE FOR SALVAGE TRUCKS Frank Thomas Dixon, Altoona, Pa., assignor to Dixon Truck Parts Company, Altoona, Pa... a corporation of Pennsylvania Application October 6, 1941, Serial No. 413,897

1 Claim.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in salvage machinery, and more particularly to a lift and towing crane for salvage trucks.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide a crane which is shiftably mounted on a truck in such a manner that it can be run rearwardly on the truck to immediately lift a trailer or other vehicle and then run forwardly in order to pull the forward portion of the trailer or other vehicle onto the truck and in a suitably supported position to be towed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent to the reader of the following specification.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 represents a fragmentary side elevational view showing the crane in forward position.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the structure shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a rear elevational view.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing the crane in rearward position and in lifting engagement with the forward end of the trailer. 4

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detailed sectional view showing the slidable beam.

, Referring to the drawings wherein like numerals designate like parts, it can be seen that numeral 5 generally refers to a salvage truck which has a chassis frame 6, wheels I and a driver's cab 8.

Numeral 9 generally refers to a crane which is the important part of the present invention, and this crane operates on rails Ill supported by the chassis frame 6. As can be seen inFigure 1, the rear ends of the rails l slope so as to facilitate the pulling onto the truck of a trailer or other vehicle required to be towed.

The crane 9 is made up of two pairs of closely spaced channel members II, II and II, II. Forward and rearward shafts l2, I: are disposed through these channeled members H and each has wheels i4 thereon grooved to receive the tread portions of the rails l0.

Upwardly converging channeled posts l5, l rise from the forward ends of the channeled members and support a pair of channeled bars It, It which together define a slideway for accommodating a beam I I in which a pulley i8 is mounted.

Over this pulley I8 is trained a cable l9 having a hook 20 at its load engaging end. This cable 1 drum 22 suitably mounted between the upper portions of the posts I5, 15. One end of this drum is provided with a sprocket wheel 23. Also suitably mounted on the upper portions of the posts It is an electric motor 24, driving a sprocket wheel 25, and a chain 26 is trained over these sprockets 23 and 25. Thus, the drum 22 is driven by the motor 24 and can be controlled by a suitable rheostat, not shown.

On the under side of one of the channeled members II is an elongated rack 21 with which engages a gear 28. This gear is on a short shaft 29 Journaled through an apron 30 which depends from the same channeled member I l. Obviously, by rotating the gear 28, the crane 9 can be fed in the desired direction.

As can be seen in Figure 4, the hook 20 can be engaged with a chain 3| and the latter disposed around the usual coupling pin-32 of a trailer 33 or other vehicle, after the crane 9 has been moved invention in specific terms, it is to be understood that numerous changes in the shape, size and materials may be resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed hereinafter.

Having described the invention, what is claimed I as new is:

In combination with a truck having side chassis bars, a pair of track rails fixed to said bars to extend along the same, respectively, a carriage including pairs of outer and inner laterally spaced channel beams, said beams extending longitudinally above said rails, front and rear pairs of track wheels running between the beams of said pairs upon said rails, a pair of upwardly converging supports arising from the outer bars of said pairs, respectively, at one end thereof, guideway forming members at the upper ends of said supports, an arm mounted in said guideways for endwise adjustment therein in the line of travel of the carriage, a sheave at one end of said am, a second sheave mounted on said carriage intermediate said pairs of beams, a motor operated reel mounted on said supports above said second sheave, and a hoisting cable trained over the firstmentioned sheave and under the second-mentioned sheave and having its end connected to said reel.

FRANK THOMAS DIXON. 

